Gizmodo Australia » agora

Kogan Cuts Price Of Its Agora Netbooks

Nick Broughall — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 05:32:43 +0000

Even though it wasn’t exactly the best netbook I’ve ever looked at, the Kogan Agora 10-inch was still noteworthy for being cheap. And now it’s even cheaper, dropping $100 for both the base model and the “premium” version.

You can now pick up the 10-inch Agora, which features the gOS Linux operating system and 1GB RAM, for just $399, while the Agora Pro – which bumps up the RAM to 2GB, includes a little USB Bluetooth module and a six-cell battery – can be picked up for $439.

Whether or not you want to tackle the questionable Wi-Fi and the OS difficulties I experienced when reviewing it is completely up to you.

[Kogan]

Kogan’s Agora Netbook On Sale Now

Nick Broughall — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:30:42 +0000

We had our hands on it last week, but now you can order the Kogan Agora netbook for your very own, with a shipping date of April 10.Among the specifications worth noting are the Intel Atom N270 (1.60GHz) processor, the 160GB HDD, widescreen, 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 LCD screen with matte finish, 1.3MP webcam, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and integrated stereo speakers and microphone. We’ll be getting a review unit shortly, but if you can’t wait, head over to Kogan’s website and order now.

KOGAN TECHNOLOGIES LAUNCHES AUSTRALA’S CHEAPEST 10″ NETBOOK

MELBOURNE, Australia, 17th March 2009 – Kogan Technologies today launched the Kogan Agora Netbook range, Australia’s cheapest 10″ mini laptop.

The Agora Netbook (AU$499) comes with a 1.6GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 3-cell battery, gOS operating system, and weighs only 1.2kg.

The Agora Netbook PRO (AU$539) includes 2GB RAM, a Bluetooth module, and 6-cell battery.

Both models are available for sale today from www.kogan.com.au, and will ship to customers on April 10th.

Ruslan Kogan, founder and director of Kogan Technologies, said customer feedback was essential in designing the best value netbook in the market.

“Through our blog we directly asked our customers what sort of features they wanted to see in the Kogan netbook.

“We had tremendous feedback, with many of the suggestions making their way into the final product. We worked hard to balance the desires of our customers with the ongoing need for value for money.

“We’re very proud that we are the first company in Australia to crack the $500 barrier for a 10-inch netbook.

“The Kogan Agora brand is based on open source principles. I’m a strong believer in the values of an open market place, which is where the Agora naming originates. As such, the Agora Netbook range will ship pre-installed with an open source operating system.

“By using the gOS operating system, we are bringing our customers one step closer to cloud computing. The operating system facilitates easy access to a number of Google services, as well as a host of easy to use, powerful open source programs.

“Most importantly, gOS is extremely easy to use. It’s a very aesthetically pleasing, powerful, intuitive, and fast operating system. One thing we’re hoping to do is make Linux less daunting for everyone, including casual computer users.”

The Kogan Agora Netbook range will come pre-installed with gOS, a variant of Ubuntu Linux, but the support team will happily guide customers through the process of installing other operating systems. The team has tested several alternatives, all of which worked very well, including Ubuntu Netbook Remix™, KDE4™, Windows XP™, and Windows 7™.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Kogan Agora Prototype Captured On Video

Nick Broughall — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:45:50 +0000

In case my poorly lit photos didn’t quite convince you that the Kogan Agora prototype I got to play with the other night was real, Seamus grabbed it after me and filmed it working for Midnight Update. The money shot of the phone is at the 5:25 mark, but you should watch the whole thing to hear Shay’s interview with Ruslan Kogan.

[Midnight Update]

Hands On With The Kogan Agora Android Phone Prototype

Nick Broughall — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:49:40 +0000

Just in case you thought the entire Kogan Agora smartphone was a play in the game of marketing chess some companies tend to play, tonight I managed to get some hands-on time with one of the prototypes. And I liked it.Apologies for the quality of the images – the hands on was impromptu and took place in the foyer of a conference room at the Kickstart media forum in the Gold Coast. But the truth is that for a ‘not-fit-for-production’ device, it was actually kind of appealing.

The official explanation as to why the Agora was delayed is still being held quite close to the chest of Ruslan Kogan, but he promises that the idea of a Kogan-branded Android handset is far from dead. The final release model will almost certainly ditch the qwerty keypad for a 3.8-inch, iPhone like touchscreen which will take advantage of the cupcake update’s onscreen keypad. The phone will also definitely run Android.

The prototype, meanwhile, actually felt really comfortable in the hand. The software was obviously pre-production, being slow and a bit unresponsive. The keyboard doesn’t compare with the likes of a Blackberry Bold for comfort, but then again the proposed price wouldn’t have really compared either. The design was reminiscent of a Samsung Blackjack, and the version of Android running looked familiar after my recent HTC Dream experiences, but different at the same time.

Ultimately, the hands on experience left me lusting for an actual Kogan Android handset. Which shouldn’t be too far away either, from all accounts. Stay tuned for more…

[Kogan on Giz]

Kogan Agora Delayed Indefinitely

Nick Broughall — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 04:53:42 +0000

I hope none of you were waiting with bated breath for your Kogan Agora smartphone to be shipped in a couple of weeks – the Aussie company has just sent out a press release saying that due to potential future compatibility issues, the phone has been delayed and will be redesigned.If you did pre-order what was to be Australia’s first Android mobile phone, Kogan have announced they’ll be refunding your money in full.

One of the potential issues is that developers could produce applications at a higher screen resolution than the Agora was destined to have, meaning the programs wouldn’t work on the phone.

I’m not sure where I sit on this issue – on the one hand, it’s good that a company isn’t just becoming another part of the Beta culture by releasing sub-par products, while on the other hand, they made such a big deal about it being cheap, open and soon to be available. There’s no timeline on when we actually will see the phone now. All the people that ordered from around the world are going to be mighty disappointed.

Have a read of the press release below, then tell me what you guys think.

Kogan Agora to be delayed

Melbourne, AUSTRALIA, 16th January 2009 – Kogan Technologies’ Agora phone will be delayed indefinitely due to potential future interoperability issues.

Kogan Technologies founder Ruslan Kogan said the phone will undergo a significant redesign in order to ensure its compatibility with all future Android applications.

“The Agora reached a very late stage of development, manufacturing had commenced and we were within days of shipping the product to customers. But it now seems certain the current Agora specifications will limit its compatibility or interoperability in the near future,” Ruslan Kogan said.

“One potential issue is that developers may create applications for the Android operating system at a higher resolution and screen size than the Agora provides in its current form.

“I am sorry for this delay, but in the interests of proving the best possible product at the best possible price, I cannot disappoint my customers by supplying a product that I am aware will shortly have significant limitations.

“My priority is to release a phone that will do justice to the Kogan brand and offer great value to our customers. Since the design of the Agora, the Android community has been growing quickly, with new developers setting out their objectives to create a host of feature-rich applications. I now believe that in order to access all the Android platform has to offer, the Agora must be redesigned.

“The Kogan team is already hard at work designing a new phone that will be better suited to the needs of Android application developers and our customers.”

All customers who pre-ordered the Agora will receive a full refund.

Ruslan Kogan will continue to blog about and discuss the redevelopment of the Agora at www.kogan.com.au/blog

[Kogan]

Kogan’s Agora Now Handled On Video

Nick Broughall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:31:12 +0000

Kogan’s PR agency just sent us this YouTube Video of the Agora in action, and although the phone looks slightly out of focus and there’s some wicked reflections off the screen, it shows off Android working fairly seamlessly. Also worth pointing out is that this, and the photos we saw yesterday, are of a pre-production unit that will be almost exactly the same, except without the silver bezel around the screen (there’ll be a black bezel instead to match the rest of the phone). Stay tuned for more Agora news – Mr Kogan himself is at CES and I’m sure the US guys will try and get a hands on this week. And if not, we’ll get our hands on a review unit soon enough…

[Kogan Agora on Giz]

New Kogan Agora Shots Get Us Excited For Android All Over Again

Nick Broughall — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:13:12 +0000

Australia’s first Android phone, the Kogan Agora, is only a few weeks away from its official release, and they’ve decided to keep us excited by sending us these spy shots of it in action. While the photos aren’t fantastic, we can expect a lot more of better quality in the near future, probably coinciding with CES.

There’s three more shots below the fold. All I can say is the end of January can’t come quick enough…

[Kogan]